Luxury Cruising Editorial

After a town council’s 5-0 vote, cruise ships with more than 50 passengers are no longer allowed to visit a port in Maine.  With this tight restriction, it’s not just a ban on large cruise ships but essentially all cruise ships.

The Belfast City Council stated that cruise ships blocking the channel was a major concern.  Additionally, the tour buses needed to transfer passengers into town was a source of contention.

With a population of about 7,000, Belfast, Maine, is a charming coastal town known for its picturesque downtown and proximity to great hiking trails and natural beauty.

In 2024, eight cruise ship visits were made at the Belfast, Maine port.  Five of these visits were from the 109-passenger American Eagle with American Cruise Line.

American Cruise Line has been the only major cruise line to make regular stops at the port.  Since none of the cruise line’s ocean-faring ships carry fewer than 50 passengers, the ban will keep the cruise line from visiting the port entirely.

In fact, it will keep most cruise lines from visiting Belfast, since not many ocean-going cruise vessels would fit under the limit.

Congestion in the Port

Councilor Brenda Bonneville said that the ban was necessary to deal with safety concerns.

“When these experts, really, come to us and say, ‘this is how we feel, these are our recommendations,‘ we listen very carefully and rely on their expertise,” Bonneville stated.

Limited space around the port also made it difficult for other vessels to maneuver and dock when cruise ships were in town.

“Some of these problems had a definite negative impact on other visiting boaters using the docks, launch ramp use and pedestrian and traffic safety around the Belfast City Landing,” Harbor Master Katherine Given said in a memo.

Given also said that the influx of passengers caused problems with other forms of transportation with the “unexpected arrival of charter buses to take the ship’s passengers to other locations”.

A $24,000 Loss in Revenue

Belfast was expected to bring in about $24,000 from 14 cruise ship visits in 2025, just from American Cruise Line alone.

But in a memo, Given stated that she expects “to generate much of the revenue if cruise ships do not return” through other means.

Local business owners and council members stated that cruise passengers don’t have much room for souvenirs on the ship and would often rather see the area’s sites than buy from local vendors.

Bar Harbor’s Cruise Cap

This isn’t the first time a Maine cruise port has restricted cruise traffic.   In November 2024, Bar Harbor’s town council narrowly upheld a 1,000-passenger daily cap that originated in 2022.

This decision was upheld by a federal judge in February 2024, confirming that Bar Harbor could legally enforce this cap.

For the 2024 season, ships that had made reservations before the vote in 2022 were allowed to visit without these restrictions, but from 2025 onward, nearly all cruise ships are expected to be subject to this 1,000 passenger per day limit.

Not all cruise cabins are created equal.  There are at least five types of staterooms I will be avoiding from now on.

I’ve stayed in a lot of different types of cabins on dozens of cruise ships with at least 8 different cruise lines.   

Most of them have been great.

But there were a few cabins and locations that I simply don’t even want to try again. 

While the cruise ship itself is my biggest factor in booking a cruise, I believe just as much planning should be done for the location and type of cabin

Unfortunately, I didn’t always spend as much time as I should have on cabin location.

Most of these staterooms that I would rather not try again were the result of booking a guaranteed category stateroom or letting the cruise line itself choose the cabin for me.

Sure, this saved me a few dollars, but a cruise cabin is a home away from home.  Personally, I’d rather cut corners in other areas.

Here are 5 cruise cabins I will never book again — unless it’s an accident.

1. Cabins Inside of a Maze

I booked a cabin on Royal Caribbean’s Symphony of the Seas a while back.  To save money, I booked an interior cabin.

But I did splurge a little.  The stateroom had one of those virtual balconies, which was just a vertically tilted TV screen with a live view of the port side of the ship.

This aspect of the cabin was fine, other than the constant stream of light from the screen that even the blackout curtains couldn’t seem to –well, black out.

The main issue was that this cluster of interior cabins on the ship were almost hidden in a winding maze.  Every time I headed back to the cabin I felt like a mouse in a high-school science project.

And every time I left the cabin I once again had to turn through corridor after corridor just to find my way back to daylight.

This wasn’t ideal when I needed to return to my room for something I forgot to grab.

2. Not-So Private Balconies Over Public Areas

I have written about this entire experience on Carnival Celebration before, if you’d like to read about it.

This particular cabin was also a result of a “guaranteed fare”.  As soon as I walked out onto the balcony, I knew I had made a mistake. 

The balcony was directly over a public pool.  And I mean, directly.

Now, I know cruise ship balconies are not exactly the Fort Knox of privacy.  Neighboring passengers can glance along the railing and noise overflow is common.

But when you feel like you’re out on the lido deck every time you walk out onto your balcony, any semblance of privacy seems to melt away.

Being just one deck above the pool meant that every conversation held in that pool flowed right into my ears.  And just standing at the railing attracted eyeballs from passengers who probably felt like I was a lifeguard of some kind.

Other types of balcony cabins are often directly above public areas as well.  This means people just walking by will often look right into your living quarters. 

Some people may not mind this.  As for me?  Not a fan.

3. Cabins Right Over Late-Night Lounges

If you don’t go to bed until 1:00AM on your cruise then this probably won’t matter much to you.  But I’ve stayed in my share of cabins that shook with the vibrations of a night club or lounge that rocked out into the wee hours of the morning.

And when your cabin is directly over or under one of these lounges, it’s just about impossible to drown out the sound, even with the loudest of white-noise machines.

This is why I recommend studying the deck plans of the ship and seeing where your cabin is located in relation to other parts of the ship. 

Staying right under the lido deck can be an issue for some ships as well, as the morning ritual of dragging the loungers into place can be quite the alarm clock.

4. Low Deck Cabins

Some people like to sleep in the lower parts of the ship.  It can somewhat mitigate movement for those who get seasick easily – not much though.

But there’s one problem I had when I stayed in these lower staterooms: 

There’s nothing down there.

So, anytime I want to go anywhere on the ship, I have to go up several decks.  This means either cramming into an elevator way too often, or hitting those stairs and getting way more than my customary 10,000 steps per day.

Personally, being only one or two decks away from the lido deck works best for me.  I feel less cramped when I know I can be out in the fresh open air of a cruise ship in just a few seconds.

5. Cabins with Connecting Doors

Certain cabins on a cruise ship have doors that connect them.  This is great for families with multiple children.

It’s not so great for people who have loud neighbors.

I’ve booked old ships and new ships with connecting doors to the neighboring cabin, but there’s only been minimal progress in sound proofing over the years.

Sometimes I forget to check the deck plans to see if my cabin has a connecting door, but rarely do I not hear the passengers next door more clearly when this door is in place.

Of course, some neighbors are louder than others, and if you have one of those cruise neighbors that likes to get up super early to start the day, it could disturb your sleep.

But then again, maybe you are that neighbor that gets up at 5AM to start your day at sea.

I love the design of ships like Royal Caribbean’s Icon of the Seas that connects the two rooms on the outside near the hallway.  In cases like this I don’t mind the connecting room cabins.

Bottom Line

While these cabins are not ideal for me, it doesn’t mean they won’t work for you.  Everyone has their own style of cruising.

Also, even in the very “worst” cabin on the ship, you’re on a cruise!  Not everything will go according to plan on a vacation at sea.  But don’t let that stop you from having an amazing cruise and making incredible memories.

From my 50 or so cruises, I’ve just learned what I prefer.  And I hope this article can help someone who is still trying to figure out what cabin works best for them.

A third cruise line over the past four months has announced plans to cruise to Alaska for the first time.

Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection will begin sailing to Alaska in 2026 when their new yacht, Luminara, offers 13 cruises to the 49th State. This will be the first time that this newer cruise line sails in the region.

Cruises will range from seven- to 11-nights in length. Three of the main itineraries offered will be:

• Seven-night roundtrip cruises from Vancouver
• 10-night cruises from Vancouver to Whittier
• 11-night cruises from Whittier to Vancouver

Extended stays will take place in several ports including Sitka, Valdez and Vancouver.

The ship will also visit Juneau, Ketchikan, Klawock, Tracy Arm Fjord, Endicott Arm Fjord, Hubbard Glacier, Haines and Icy Strait Point.

Jim Murren, Executive Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection, gave the following statement:

“Our new Alaska itineraries offer a new and unparalleled way to explore the remarkable region by sea, combining access to secluded destinations and remote wonders with the comfort of ultra-luxury accommodations and personalized service. The intimate size of Luminara allows us to visit smaller, less traveled ports, providing our guests with a more immersive way to experience Alaska’s natural beauty and wildlife.”

Tina Edmundson, President of Luxury at Marriott International, added:

“With the launch of our third superyacht, Luminara, we’re thrilled to bring The Ritz-Carlton experience to the breathtaking landscapes of Alaska. The love and loyalty our guests have for The Ritz-Carlton brand have been the driving force behind the success of our yachts.

It’s this deep connection that inspires us to create journeys that are not only luxurious but truly unforgettable, offering the same warmth and attention to detail that our guests have come to cherish.”

Luminara will enter service in July and will be the third vessel in Ritz-Carton Yacht Collection’s fleet.

The ship will have 226 spacious suites that carry up to 452 guests.

Cruise ships are steering clear of Iceland and cancelling visits to ports in the country after a 2025 fee has been put in place.

According to a letter from the MSC Cruises Port Operations Director, the new fee is five times higher than the Accommodation Tax which was implemented just before the 2024 sailing season. 

The fee, set at ISK 2,500 per passenger per day for ships on international cruises, equates to about $18 for every passenger on the ship.

The Icelandic government estimated that the new fee which went into effect on January 1, 2025, would generate about $10 million (1.5 billion ISK).

But as cruise ships begin to cancel stops at the island of fire and ice, these numbers may have to be revised.

According to RÚV, the national broadcaster of Iceland, “Dozens of cruise ships have cancelled planned visits to Icelandic ports”.

In fact, ports in Iceland are expecting 80 fewer cruise ships as cancellations begin to pile up.

In Akureyri, the number of ship visits is set to decrease by 44 compared to the previous year. Grundarfjörður has already experienced seven cancellations for the current year, with an additional 14 expected for 2026.

Meanwhile, Vestmannaeyjar anticipates at least ten fewer ship visits this year than last.

Sigurður Jökull Ólafsson, chairman of Cruise Iceland, emphasized the weight of the economic impact of these changes.

“Take, for instance, a ship that makes 8 to 9 stops each at Reykjavik, Ísafjörður, and Akureyri during the summer; it will now face an additional operational cost of 440 million ISK in 2025,” Sigurður stated.

Last year, Cruise Iceland warned that the new fee would particularly impact ships that were circumnavigating the country. 

“We would have, first of all, wanted to see this implemented in stages so it wouldn’t hit operations as hard as it does now,” the site stated.